Colorado Rockies baseball manager Jim Tracy, right, shares a laugh with general manager Dan O'Dowd as pitchers and catchers work out during their first day of baseball spring training in Tucson, Ariz., on Friday, Feb. 19, 2010.

SPRING_TRAINING_JL727 - 02/23/2008 - Colorado Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd talks with fans during practice in Tucson. The defending National League Champions Colorado Rockies began the the 2008 season with full squad workouts in Tucson. John Leyba/ The Denver Post

In this edition, longtime Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd deals answers on the Giants’ World Series victory, CarGo’s future in Denver, how much money the club will spend and how to solve the Rockies’ hitting woes on the road.

Keep an eye out for next week’s installment when Broncos wide receiver Brandon Lloyd takes questions. Send your questions in an email to fanmail@denverpost.com

Did it sting sitting at home this postseason and watching the San Francisco Giants win the World Series?

— Heath, Denver

Dan O’Dowd: It stinks, it really does. We knew how good the Giants were. As a collective group, we knew coming out of spring training that they were going to be a challenger in the NL West. Then we went 9-9 against them and had some tough, gritty games.

But quite honestly, the way the season ended left a bitter taste in our mouths. Sure, we were happy to be playing meaningful games in September, but that was not enough. So yes, we were disappointed watching another team we competed with go on to win the World Series.

Thanks for your great work putting together this team. I love the fact that we have a quality team like this to root for. With the increase in attendance this past year, can fans expect an increase in payroll this coming season?

— Chris, Lakewood

DO: I would expect that we will be in a very similar area to where we were at the end of the 2010 season (about $85 million), maybe a little higher.

One thing I would like fans to understand is how our revenue works. We take our revenue base and put about 50 percent — sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less — toward our payroll. Now, that payroll is more than just base salaries for our 25-man roster. It also counts toward players on the DL and players with options on our 40-man roster. Our payroll — what we consider our payroll costs — also goes toward player bonuses and money players earn through awards and incentives.

(Editor’s note: The Rockies drew 2,875,245 fans in 2010, an average of 35,940 per game. That ranked 10 in the majors and was the club’s best attendance since 2001.)

I know this is contrary to the way Rockies do business, but why don’t you make a trade for (Kansas City pitcher) Zach Greinke? Greinke has two years left on his contract, the Rockies are a winning small-market team Greinke would want to play for. We could trade him after one year if it doesn’t work out or wait for the compensation picks. Seems like a good deal to me.

— Chad, University of Chicago Law School

DO: I am not going to comment on specific players here. That’s not to say we wouldn’t have interest in a player like Zach Greinke, but I would like to explain how our model works.

In the model we have created here, we strive to keep our club at its most competitive. That means creating and keeping quality depth. You have to be able to have 40-45 quality players, because of injuries and other circumstances.

Sometimes, and with some clubs, when you take on a quality player through a trade, or sign a free-agent player at significant cost, it can completely eliminate the quality depth you’ve built. That is not something we are willing to do.

When you feel like you have a team that is capable of contending for a championship, how do you find a balance between the desire to trade for players who could put your team over the top and the need to hold onto prospects so that the team remains competitive for years to come?

— Joe, Elko, Nevada

DO: That’s a good question. The call has to be made at the time when you are in a particular position of the season and when you are in contention. That’s when we are balancing our future with the need to go for it right now. You really have to keep an eye out for your future, but you need to makes moves when you can.

Any progress with (pitcher) Jorge De La Rosa’s contract? And who do you have in mind as a possibility for a right-hander power bat?

— Gary, Mancos

As regards to Jorge’s contract, he is now a free agent and can negotiate with any team. We are actively engaged in those talks now with Jorge’s representatives. We are working hard to make something work for both sides.

As for the right-handed bat, we are right at the start of our winter right now and we have a list of players we have an interest in. In my mind, the offseason process is about doing your due diligence and finding the right fit. But there are a number of players we are talking about internally.

Are there any legitimate bats coming up in the organization that I should start following?

— Steve, Brighton

DO: We are excited about a number of players. (Catcher) Wilin Rosario has shown a great bat and he’s getting healthy again. (Outfielder) Charles Blackmon is a kid we really like. A third baseman to watch is Nolan Arenado. He’s a kid with a lot of promise and did well in (Single-A) Asheville this year (.308 average, 12 homers, 65 RBIs).

And then there is Hector Gomez, if he can stay healthy. He can play in the infield and fill a need there. But he has to stay healthy.

We think Rosario has made some tremendous progress coming back from a torn MCL. He’s had no problems, physically, playing in the instructional league this fall. So we are excited by his potential.

Given the success the success he had in 2010, but also the issues with walking batters, how advanced is pitcher Tyler Matzek at this point. If all goes well, should we expect to see him in Double-A Tulsa midway through the 2001 season?

DO: We are very excited about Tyler’s future, but I can’t tell you now where he will be next season. The players dictate a lot of where they end up and how fast they develop. All young players have a lot of issues they have to go through, so it will depend on Tyler’s ability to master the next step his development. Tyler’s got a great body and a nice, loose arm. The next step is taking charge of his command and control issues.

(Editor’s note: Matzek was drafted with the 11th overall pick by the Rockies in the 2009 draft, straight out of high school in Mission Viejo, Calif.)

I’m a big Rockies fan since I moved here in ’08. How committed are you to keeping CarGo (Carlos Gonzalez) here long-term? What do you think it would cost the team? What are you discussing about the third base situation?

— Joey, Denver

DO: With regard to CarGo, we were really happy with him. Not just with his talent, but especially with the progress he made as an all-around player. We were so impressed with how hard he worked to be a team player and the commitment he made to the team.

CarGo is under out control through 2014 and we do have a desire to keep him here for the long term. So we will have to address that at some point and time. But it is a two-way street. There needs to be a strong desire on both sides to work something out. We certainly hope there is.

As for third base, our best chance is for some of the players in our organization stepping up. Ian Stewart has to take the next step and we hope he begins to figure it out.

Why are the Rockies so afraid to spend money on free agents?

— Steve, Denver

DO: There is not a fear to spend money in the free-agent market, but you have to deal with the real world, not in fantasy baseball. And I don’t mean that to be disparaging.

But you have to have a plan and the most important part of our model is to hold onto our core star players. We chose to give $22 million to Huston Street, and although he was hurt and struggled last season, he was an important part of our plan. We chose to use $7.5 million to sign (reliever Rafael) Betancourt and we signed (catcher Chris) Iannetta (three years, $8.35 million). Chris struggled last year, but he was part of our core plan. So we spend our resource within a model we’ve set up. That means you simply don’t go out and sign marquee free agents without thought to your team as a whole.

What is the thing you are most proud of in your career as a GM?

— Katerina, Arvada

DO: I think I’m most proud of being part of and helping build an organization that is about character and integrity, above everything else. I’m proud that we have done that and established that here. Really, within this organization we have complete trust in one another, and we believe in one another. I think that is working and has made us a solid organization.

First of all, thank you for making the Rockies relevant and raising the expectations of success for the organization. Given payroll constraints, it seems unlikely that the organization will be able to hold onto (Ubaldo) Jimenenz, (Troy Tulowitzki) Tulo and CarGo after they are no longer under the Rockies’s control. My question: Does the organization have plans to try to capitalize on this 3-4 year window by trading prospects for players who can help immediately. Obviously the goal is not to leave the system bare, but at the same time it is not often you have three players of this caliber all in their prime.

— Mike, Oakland

DO: First of all, we feel there is a way we can consider keeping all three players long-term, given our growing revenue base. And as long was we have all three players here, we have a good foundation. And we have no problem trading prospects, but I always have a problem trading impact prospects. As I said before, you need to think about the depth of the entire team and organization.

It would be great if the team could improve its offense, particularly on the road. Dante Bichette believed the use of a pitch machine capable of throwing a breaking ball aided his home/road splits. Is there some reason the Rockies should not at least test this training method?

— John, Moscow, Idaho

DO: A machine that throws a curve is one of the things we are planning to travel with the entire season. As a matter of fact, we are creating a box for it so we can take it on trip and set it up in our cages when we hit the road.

The idea actually came from (bullpen catcher) Mark Strittmatter in his end-of-season job review. I think it’s a really good idea.

I think what happened last year on the road is that we started off hitting poorly and lost our confidence. Then that lost confidence leaked into fear because players don’t want to fail. I think when we lost our confidence, we were scared to death to get two strikes against us. Then it all compounded and spiraled. That’s something we will have to address, because when you start trying too hard in baseball, that’s not going to work for you.

How long until infielder Hector Gomez is a serious consideration to make the ball club?

— Steve, Brighton

DO: If his health had not been an issue, he would probably already be playing a part in one of our two infield positions (third base and second) right now.

He has electric tools as an infielder, but part of becoming a good major league player is learning to take care of yourself so you aren’t always hurt. He’s coming off a fractured vertebrae in his back, but from what I understand, he’s had no problems. He’s been playing in the Dominican and running and playing fine. So knock on wood and hope he stays healthy. If he does, he would be up with us squarely in the 2012 season. Right now, he needs a season of 550 plate appearances. He needs to take care of some offensive issues regarding strike zone discipline, but he’s somebody we are watching closely.

Dan O’Dowd was named Rockies executive vice president and general Manager on Sept. 20, 1999. Only seven other general managers have been with their respective clubs for a longer period of time.

The Rockies struggled early in his tenure, notching only one winning season (2000). But the 2007 team, built largely on homegrown talent, shocked the baseball world and advanced to the World Series. Colorado’s World Series roster featured 16 players who were originally drafted or signed as a nondrafted free agent by the Rockies. The Rockies returned to the playoffs in 2009.

Prior to joining the Rockies, O’Dowd served the Indians front office for 11 years, from 1988-98. During his tenure in Cleveland, the Indians won four straight AL Central pennants (1995-98) and advanced to the World Series in 1995 and 1997

WASHINGTON — Thirty games into the 82-game NHL season, and nearly six weeks after the Matt Duchene trade, Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic discussed the state of his team before Tuesday’s 5-2 loss at the Washington Capitals.